From Judiciary’s Point of View, Nasrin Has Dissapeared

Reza Khandan: From Judiciary’s Point of View, Nasrin Has Dissapeared

While it is the thirtieth day of hunger strike of Nasrin Sotoudeh, the imprisoned Lawyer, in solitary confinement of section 209 which belongs to Iran’s intelligence services, the prison officials of this sector claim that Nasrin Sotoudeh is not their prisoner.

At the same time Evin prison officials have emphasised that she is still serving in solitary confinement of section 209. Reza Khandan, Nasrin’s husband, said “From Judiciary’s point of view, Nasrin has disappeared.”

Death of Sattar Beheshti, the Iranian webloger who was killed under torture in prison, has worried most of the prisoners’ family members and human rights activists.

Sotoudeh began an indefinite hunger strike in protest of new restrictions placed on her family visits on October 16th. The allegations of this human rights activist was propaganda against the regime, crime against the security of nation and being a member of Human Rights Defenders Society, for which she was convicted to 6 years of imprisonment and barred from practicing law and from leaving country for twenty years, moreover, for the allegation of pretending to feel reluctant to have Hijab, she was punished to a fine of 500,000 IRR. Since she was a human rights lawyer, it can be concluded that being a human rights lawyer is a crime in Islamic Republic of Iran.

In a letter to her children from the prison Sotoudeh wrote: “I know you need water, food, a home to live in, a family, parents, to be loved by your family and to visit your mother, but at the same time you need freedom, social security, a lawful country and justice and you have to know that no nation has easily achieved these values all around the world.”

In his facebook status, Reza Kahndan wrote: “Today, the Thursday, for the second time in two weeks we went to visit Nasrin in Evin prison. Thursdays are the family visiting days for the prisoners of section 209. Although since 15 days ago Nasrin has been kept in solitary confinement of section 209, they keep telling us that she is not with them. The officials of the Evin prison, on the other hand, tell us that she is in section 209. Neither the officials of the prison, nor those responsible for section 209 confirm her imprisonment serving in their cells. We can say from judiciary’s point of view, she has disappeared.

Although it is confirmed that she is not officially banned from visiting her family, they are not allowing her to have her lawful visits. These people are not even pretending to have belief in the country law, written by their kind, and they do not hesitate to take any action in order to put pressure on prisoner and her family. However, they do not accept liability and blame others when as a result of their wrong doings; someone like Sattar Beheshti gets murdered.”

It is noteworthy that Khandan has emphasised that Sotoudeh’s condition is critical and actions should be taken before it is too late.